Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the hon. member for Halifax West on behalf of the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development concerning the government's response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.
The government has every intention of publicly responding to the RCAP report in the near future. Contrary to the hon. member's belief, the government has not been silent on this matter. Over the last year we have been consulting partners while undertaking an in-depth government-wide review of the commission's recommendations.
This is a lengthy, serious and important document that cannot be implemented overnight. The government is committed to making significant structural change in its relationship with aboriginal peoples. Therefore, we cannot proceed in isolation. Many partners, aboriginal people, provincial and territorial governments and the private sector and other interested parties are involved in the development of responses to the recommendations.
The royal commission set out a 20 year program for change. It would be a disservice to the commission and the aboriginal people if we responded to the report in haste or without thorough consultation.
Let me also add that many of the changes recommended by RCAP are already in place or under way. For example, this government recently expressed its commitment to the creation of a national aboriginal health institute, which was called for by RCAP.
This government will not table a response for the sake of tabling a response. We want to address the many issues raised in the RCAP report in a manner that is reasonable and that best serves aboriginal people. We want to table the right response to address the needs of aboriginal people.